The Connersville Spartan tennis team claimed their fourth consecutive sectional championship following a 5-0 win over the Rushville Lions at CHS on Friday.
The 2025 sectional championship is the twenty-fifth in program history and the seventh in the ten years under Head Coach Chris Bloom’s leadership. The Spartans concluded the regular season at 19-1 and hold the program record for regular season wins. A presumptive twentieth win was taken off the board following a rainout with Union County in September.
“We earned for many years to be at the top,” Bloom said. “They’ve gotten to the point where the boys are developing so much that we seem to be in control of what we’re doing. They came out, were really focused, and took care of things. You don’t want to take anything for granted, so we’re out there trying to give it the most respect that you can. Rushville is young. They’ve got a lot of kids, [and] they’ll continue to get better.”
A second regular season non-conference matchup at Waldron was suspended without result due to darkness. Connersville secured their third straight Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference championship with an undefeated record and currently rank third in the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association third district.
“We couldn’t finish [the match at Waldron],” Bloom said. “It was kind of a coin flip. We were tied one one, tied in the third set at five all at one spot, and tied up one set a piece in another spot. [Waldron is] really good. They’re going to be at the regional. We play Center Grove, but there [are] a lot of teams around here that are really improving. Hopefully, somebody can go put some pressure on those schools.”
Junior Anthony Struewing won 6-2, 6-0 over Rushville senior Clayton Chase at 1 singles on Friday. The number 1 doubles team of Maddox Rees and Parker Thumb won 6-0, 6-2 over the Rushville duo of freshmen Joel Downey and Max Reynolds.
“Parker got in the lineup this year at one doubles,” Bloom said. “Last year, he was one of those guys that would fill in, and he did a great job. [He] and Maddox had great chemistry. I thought that he probably outperformed expectations of what we’d do. Maddox came to us as a sophomore. He got a late start to it, but picked it up really, quick. He is a great kid, always asking questions, [and] wants to be better. He’s such a good teammate.”
Sophomore Jay McMullen collected a 6-1, 6-2 win at 2 singles over Rushville freshman Kaceik Lunsford. The Spartan 2 doubles team of junior Evan Miller and senior Logan Young won 6-1, 6-2 over Rushville freshmen Josh Campbell and Jakob Slaon.
“Logan is family for me,” Bloom said. “He’s a cousin and came to us as a sophomore. He stayed at two doubles for us the entire time, and was a guy that can anchor that spot with experience. We win that spot a lot, and that’s been nice to have. [He’s] a great athlete and willing to learn.”
Sophomore Able Parsley rounded out the Connersville scoring with a 7-5, 6-1 win at 3 singles over sophomore Brady Martz.
The Spartans advanced to the sectional final following a 5-0 first-round victory over the Franklin County Wildcats at CHS on Wednesday, October 1. Struewing won at 1 singles 6-0, 6-0 over Franklin County senior Bryce Bruns. Rees and Thumb won at 1 doubles 6-2, 6-1 over Franklin County seniors Carson Allen and Brady Foster. McMullen took a 6-0, 6-0 win over sophomore Steven Kristoff at 2 singles. Miller and Young won 6-1, 6-2 over Franklin County seniors Gavin Gillman and Hayden Rolfes. Parsley won 6-1, 6-2 over junior Pete Poe at 3 singles.
The Spartans picked up an unconventional 7-0 win over the Hauser Jets on Wednesday, September 24 for Senior Night at CHS. Along with Rees, Thumb and Young, Connersville seniors Cordell Escobal, Brandt Lykins, and Elijah Pearson were able to collect varsity wins. Lykins won at 4 singles for Connersville with Escobal and Person prevailing at 3 doubles.
“When we started having injuries, Brandt was filling in the singles lineup quite a bit,” Bloom said. “We have depth, and that’s kind of been tough. He fills in, does a great job, and was a great teammate. If you don’t have that guy and a guy goes down, you’re giving a spot up. We weren’t giving a spot up. When Brandt would step in, we had an opportunity to compete, and that was great to have. Cordell came to us last year [as a manager]. He wanted to play and really grew and [learned] how to play the game. He’s a great teammate. Eli used to go to Connersville. He went to Northeastern and then came back. The kids love him, and he’s been a great teammate as well. [He] worked hard and got to play on Senior Night. They got to win, which is really neat.”
The varsity Spartans will travel to Center Grove on Tuesday for a first-round regional match with the IHSTCA tenth ranked Center Grove Trojans. The 2024 Trojans took second place at state last season following a 3-2 loss to Brebeuf in the state finals. The winner of the Center Grove and Connersville matchup will play the winner of a Waldron and Roncalli match in the regional final.
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